Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Iraqi Army Thwarts Drone Attack on Military Airbase

01/17/2022

The Iraqi forces thwarted an attack by three drones targeting the Balad Airbase near Baghdad, a day after rockets were launched at the Green Zone and a number of military areas. Three drones approached the southern perimeter of the Balad Air Base, some 90 km north of Baghdad, prompting the Iraqi forces to open fire on the drones and forcing them to flee the scene.

Air Force to resume flights suspended in the wake of F-5E crash

01/17/2022

South Korea's Air Force said Monday it will resume the operation of its combat aircraft suspended after a pilot died earlier this month following the sudden crash of an F-5E fighter. The armed service said the operation of its warplanes, except for F-5Es and F-35As, will resume in phases, starting at noon.

Deterring Russia requires a capable bridge tanker and Congressional support

01/17/2022

Russia is building up forces along its border with Ukraine, and NATO is watching with rising alarm. The current crisis is the latest in a long line of increasingly aggressive Russian actions against its neighbors. From the Arctic Circle to the Black Sea, NATO allies and partners have faced everything from grey-zone tactics to airborne harassment to outright war, all directed from Moscow.

Philippines Confirms Purchase Of Three Batteries Of BrahMos Supersonic Missile Systems From India

01/16/2022

“I recently signed the Notice of Award for the Philippine Navy Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile Acquisition Project. Negotiated with the Government of India, it includes the delivery of three batteries, training for operators and maintainers as well as the necessary Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) package,” Lorenzana wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Full production of Russia's Tu-160 bomber restarted after 30 years

01/16/2022

In an echo of the Cold War, Russia's first newly manufactured Tupolev Tu-160M (NATO designation Backfire) supersonic nuclear heavy bomber completed its maiden flight on January 12, reaching a height of 600 m (2,000 ft) during its 30-minute test.

Turkey Begins Assembly Of Hürjet National Jet Trainer Prototype

01/15/2022

Over the last decade, Turkey has put great attention on its national aerospace industry, starting many ambitious programs for different types of aircraft, including unmanned ones. One of these programs is the Hürjet, an advanced jet training and light attack aircraft launched in 2017 and developed with the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) own resources and the first completely developed in Turkey.

How Silicon Valley Is Helping the Pentagon Automate Finding Targets

01/15/2022

When the Pentagon asked Google to quietly build a tool that could identify objects in drone footage, what it found was a nascent worker revolt against explicitly building weapons. The program, Project Maven, was launched in April 2017 with the goal of processing video taken by drones. The plan was to identify and label objects in those videos using computer algorithms, with those labels helpful for troops who would be picking targets.

How Flankers fought Fulcrums in the skies over Africa

01/15/2022

For many years these two 4th-generation fighters were the mainstay of the Russian Air Force: the lightweight MiG-29 tactical fighter (‘Fulcrum’), designed for gaining mastery of the air directly over the battlefield, and the heavy supersonic Su-27 (‘Flanker-B’), capable of intercepting enemy aircraft at long range.Performing different roles, the two planes were supposed to complement each other in combat.

Taiwan suspends F-16 training missions after jet crashes

01/12/2022

Taiwan's air force on Tuesday suspended combat training for its F-16 fleet after a recently upgraded model of the fighter jet crashed into the sea in the latest of a series of accidents. The defence ministry said the F-16V, the most advanced type in Taiwan's fleet, went missing from radar screens after taking off from the Chiayi air base in southern Taiwan for a training mission over a coastal firing range.

Polish, Belgian Air Force F-16 Fighter Jets To Take Part In NATO Training Flights Over Estonia

01/11/2022

Flights will be conducted in Estonia’s southwest, south, and east, far from populated areas, if possible. Low-altitude flights must be agreed beforehand with the country’s Aviation Department and Air Navigation Services, the agency added. On Tuesday, the US Air Force deployed F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets in Poland, so that the aircraft “work with the Polish Baltic Air Policing F-16s in Siauliai, Lithuania and enhanced Air Policing Belgian F-16s in Amari, Estonia,” the Allied Air Command sai

Idaho ANG A-10, Marine F-35 pilots train together

01/11/2022

The Idaho Air National Guard welcomed U.S. Marines from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225, who fly the F-35B Lightning II, to Gowen Field Jan. 7-9. The squadron brought four of the fifth-generation fighters to train with A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the 124th Fighter Wing’s 190th Fighter Squadron.

Fighter jet makes emergency landing in Taiwan's Hualien

01/11/2022

An F-5 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday evening (Jan. 10) after a warning light for its landing gear lit up, according to the Air Force Command. The aircraft took off from Hualien’s Chiashan Air Force Base to perform a routine night training flight. However, its landing gear lights lit up shortly after, and the pilot made it safely back to base, CNA reported.

USAF Aircraft Availability on Long Downward Trend, CBO Says

01/11/2022

The Air Force and Navy are both seeing a long-term, downward trend in aircraft availability and flying hours per aircraft, which is actually worse than the Pentagon reports because of the way the Defense Department counts aircraft as ready for duty, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office. While USAF availability recovered a little during the COVID-19 pandemic, flying hours continued to fall, the CBO said.

F-35A Lightning II Fighters Can Share Information Like Never Before

01/10/2022

The U.S. Air Force has started stationing F-35A Lightning II fighter jets on the European continent, allowing the United States to bolster collective deterrence and streamline operations with the growing number of allied nations that have their own F-35s.

France On Track for New Aircraft Carrier by 2038

01/10/2022

At this point, it has been speculated that the Porte Avion Nouvelle Generation (PANG) carrier would likely be nuclear powered with two K22 reactors, would be in similar size to Charles de Gaulle, and would have an air wing that would include thirty-two next-generation fighter jets.

ANTONOV STATE ENTERPRISE SHOWS FIRST MILITARY TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT

01/09/2022

Antonov State Enterprise, which is part of Ukroboronprom state concern, at the end of last year demonstrated the first military transport aircraft An-178-100R No. 001 designed for flight certification tests. “Ukraine demonstrates its defense capability thanks to synergy, united efforts.

US Offers India With ‘Hybrid’ F-21 Fighter Jet That Boasts Capabilities Of Both F-35 & F-22 Raptor

01/09/2022

US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, which is eying a fighter jet deal with the Indian Air Force (IAF), is open to setting up a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in the country, company representatives said. Lockheed’s F-21 is competing with Boeing’s F-18, Swedish SAAB Gripen, French Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, and Russian MiG-35 for the supply of 114 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) to the IAF.

Kazakhstan seeks Russia-led security group's help

01/08/2022

In the face of mounting domestic unrest and apparent uncertainty over the loyalty of law enforcement and military forces, Kazakhstan’s president has turned to a Russia-dominated security alliance for help.

6 Chinese military aircraft enter Taiwan’s ADIZ

01/08/2022

Six military aircraft from China entered the southwest sector of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) Friday (Jan. 7), continuing a trend started more than a year earlier. Four Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, one Shaanxi Y-8 ELINT electronic intelligence spotter plane, and one Shaanxi Y-8 EW electronic warfare aircraft entered the southwest sector of the ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

Intermediate Jet Trainer has cleared a major milestone, says HAL chief

01/07/2022

In an important milestone, the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), designed and developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for stage-II training of Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, has successfully demonstrated the capability to carry out six turn spins, displaying an important requirement for the platform. The aircraft will require another two years of testing after which it will be ready for induction, said R. Madhavan, Chief Managing Director, HAL.

Indian Navy to conduct flight test of Rafale M fighter aircraft today

01/07/2022

Indian Navy will start testing the Rafale-M(Marine) for using on its aircraft carriers. The test of the Rafale fighter aircraft will take place at the INS Hansa in Goa which is a shore-based test facility. France sent a Rafale maritime fighter aircraft to a naval facility in Goa on Thursday to demonstrate its combat capabilities.

Taiwan air force stages drill to intercept Chinese planes amid tensions

01/06/2022

Taiwan air force jets screamed into the sky on Wednesday in a drill simulating a war scenario, showing its combat readiness amid heightened military tensions with China, which claims the island as its own. Before takeoff, flight crews at a base in the southern city of Chiayi - home to U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets that are frequently scrambled to intercept Chinese warplanes - rushed to ready aircraft as an alarm sounded.

Boeing to upgrade Japan's F-15 jet fighters to enable the aircraft to fight effectively alongside the F-35

01/06/2022

Jet fighter designers at the Boeing Co. will help Japan upgrade its F-15 combat aircraft with new enabling technologies to enable Japanese F-15s to fight effectively alongside the nation's growing fleet of F-35 joint strike fighters. Officials of the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, announced a $471.3 million contract to the Boeing Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis for the Japan Super Interceptor (JSI) program.

UK and Japan to jointly develop fighter jet engine

01/06/2022

The UK and Japan are to partner on building a jet engine demonstrator for use in next generation fighter aircraft, with work starting in the coming months. The agreement, which was signed at the end of last month also commits the countries to exploring other combat air technologies together.

Is Russia’s Su-75 ‘Checkmate’ Aircraft a Case of Vapor Marketing?

01/06/2022

To hype their Su-75 "Checkmate" aircraft last month at the Dubai Air Show, officials from Russia’’s Sukhoi Design Bureau offered up bottles of a limited-edition Checkmate perfume. No fragrance, however, will mask how the Su-75 isn’t a light tactical fighter as advertised, but rather a medium-weight fighter-bomber similar to the F-16V.